She is eligible for an additional $1,200 annually for a master's degree and another $1,200 for a Ph.D. Shiels is currently working toward a Ph.D. at the University of California at Davis.

Her medical coverage is paid from her salary. The district provides dental coverage.

Shiels, currently the assistant superintendent of educational services in the Morgan Hill Unified School District, also has worked as a bilingual teacher, high school vice principal and elementary school principal.

She is to take the helm of Sonoma County's largest school district on July 1.